Week of 1/17/2011: Highlights for U.S Partners

Last month in the newsletter and on this blog, I mentioned Virtual Partner Concierge as a source of information that complements the U.S. partner portal and newsletter as well as our social media outreach. Several partners who have checked it out over the past few weeks have responded positively to the unique online experience Concierge offers. It's not just another Microsoft partner site. Instead, it gives you a simple, consistent way to easily find—and return to—Microsoft partner-related content, based on your company's business and your role or areas of interest. On Concierge, you'll see content and connection recommendations from Microsoft U.S. partner team members who have expertise in various aspects of the partner business. You can rate content, leave comments, create a list of favorites, and more. Right now, about 15 views are complete and available, and more are in the works.

I hope you'll check it out. To use Virtual Partner Concierge, you must have Silverlight 4.0 installed (there is a link on the landing page). I look forward to hearing your feedback.

January U.S. Volume Licensing Price ListsEach month, we publish the current Microsoft U.S. Open License Estimated Price List to the partner portal. Add this page to your favorites, or find it in the U.S. Partner Resources section on the partner portal home page.

Exam Packages Help You Meet the New RequirementsBack by popular demand, save up to 30 percent and get free exam retakes when you purchase one of three competency exam packages for meeting partner network requirements. The packages entitle you to take your exams until September 30, 2011.

Save Valuable Time on Website UpdatesUse our free Web Syndication service to reclaim some of the time you spend updating your website. The syndication library includes business value content and key product information you can deliver directly to your own website.

Let Your Customers Know You Resell Genuine Microsoft SoftwareYour customers get the highest quality experience, best protection, and most value for their money when they purchase and use genuine Microsoft software. Use this syndication microsite on your website and let your customers know you resell genuine Microsoft software.

Get a Head Start on Sales: Office 365 Sneak PeekGet a jump on sales with Microsoft Office 365-the next release of the Microsoft Online Services platform, launching later this year-and show your customers how to harness cloud power. Our timesaving resources, including a sales presentation and customizable email, will help you spread the word.

Profitably Reconnect with Your CustomersIDC research on Microsoft cloud-focused partners shows how Microsoft Business Productivity Online Services can create opportunities for suppliers and help you profitably reconnect with your customers. Read the whitepaper and discover how.

Get the BPOS Ready-to-Go Marketing CampaignUse these resources to create your own marketing program and differentiate yourself from the competition. We've added a "Competitive Information" section to make it even easier to help you position Microsoft Business Productivity Online Suite versus key competitor offerings.

New Plan Feature in Partner GPSPartners like you have been using Microsoft Partner GPS (Guiding Partner Success) to find fresh, relevant resources by sales cycle and capability level in nine key solution areas. The new Plan tab provides quick access to resources that help you align your solution strategy with the Microsoft vision.

Business Customers Are Waiting for YouMore than 90,000 business customers visit Microsoft Pinpoint each month to search for partners who can meet their business needs. Don't leave opportunities on the table. Get listed in Pinpoint today.

Thank you for such a positive response to our first Microsoft Action Pack Solution Provider (SP) edition of the U.S. partner newsletter. Several partners sent me comments and feedback. I enjoyed hearing how the Action Pack subscription is helping their businesses and also appreciate the questions and suggestions for improvement. Please continue to reach out to me with your feedback about the Action Pack SP. Your feedback may be featured in a future newsletter. You can connect to me through @MyActPack on Twitter, or by e-mail at partnerQ@microsoft.com.

I promised to use this space to answer common Action Pack-related questions. Here is this month's question:

Q: What are the benefits of having an Action Pack SP subscription versus a TechNet subscription? Which subscription should I renew?

A: Microsoft Action Pack SP provides internal-use rights for the latest versions of Microsoft software, which you can use to run your business, and includes a TechNet subscription so you can evaluate software (current and older versions) for your clients. The software licenses offered through TechNet are for evaluation purposes only and do not provide internal-use rights. Your Action Pack subscription also provides benefits like support through the Partner Online Technical Communities and listing in Microsoft customer directories. See the full list of benefits.

If your Action Pack subscription is up for renewal within the next 90 days, consider renewing by January 31 for a chance to win one of seven Xbox Console with Kinect packages in our "MAP your Success" promotion. Need help with your renewal? Our Action Pack Subscription Support page contains self-help resources and contact information for phone-based support if you get stuck.

Microsoft Lync Now Available to Action Pack SubscribersMicrosoft Lync, the new generation of Office Communicator, allows you to schedule a meeting directly from Microsoft Outlook and join through Lync 2010 via PC, phone, or Web. Take advantage of your Lync software internal-use benefit. Sign in to your Benefits page and select “Download Your Internal-Use Software Benefits.”

New Microsoft Lync Learning PlansFind training that will give you a technical and business understanding of Microsoft Lync 2010. New learning plans are available to give you additional insight.

Hosting Platform Training RecommendationsWe've collected the best of our training offerings for hosting providers on the Learning Plan Tool. Whether you are preparing to attain the silver or gold Hosting competency, or simply need to get your staff trained on relevant Microsoft products, our recommendations can help.

Web Development Training RecommendationsWe've collected the best of our training offerings for Web developers on the Learning Plan Tool. Whether you are preparing to attain the silver or gold Web Development competency, or simply need to get your staff trained on relevant Microsoft products, our recommendations can help.

Practice Accelerator for Server VirtualizationVirtualization is a key technology for reducing the cost and complexity of IT management. With Practice Accelerator, you can assist your customers with their virtualization planning and deployments.

Small Business, Big Rewards: SBS 2011 Training SweepstakesLearn how the new Windows Small Business Server 2011 can help you address common small business challenges. Through January 26, complete an eligible course and you'll be entered for a chance to win a Windows Phone 7 or an Xbox Kinect sensor.